On July 4th, 2005, five employees of the Delaware North General Store at Canyon including myself went on a hike to the top of Pelican Cone in Yellowstone’s Pelican Valley. The area has heavy restrictions for bear management reasons and is only open for day hiking. Coming down from the summit, fellow employee Michelle and I became separated from the other three members of our party on the trail. The reason for the separation was that they stopped to speak with two Bear Management Area Rangers who were climbing up Pelican Cone with a spotting scope to look for bear activity. This is ironic considering what happened next. Michelle and I were talking and making noise on the trail when
we heard a loud huffing sound from the wooded area to our right. Michelle said to me, “Matt, get out your bear spray.” I was carrying the UDAP Bear Deterrent Spray in its holster on my hip and had previously test fired it, as per the recommendation in the instructions. The bear was a sow grizzly bear weighing approximately 500 pounds with a cub approximately 100 pounds. Both came charging out of the woods directly at us, with the female emitting deep guttural huffing sounds and appearing highly agitated. Both bears were less than 8 feet away when I sprayed them, hitting the female with an arc of the spray. There was an immediate, adverse reaction. Both bears veered off and up on the trail above our position, then into the trees on the opposite side of the trail away from us. The adult bear stopped on the trail and seemed to cough. It seemed to have difficulty breathing on contact with the spray. I could not see a reaction from the cub, and I do not know if I hit it or not. The adult bear looked back at us once, then left the area. The entire incident took place in less than 15 seconds. The remainder of our party rejoined us at this point and we finished the hike without further incident. The next day I filed a report about the incident at the Canyon Visitor Center and a Bear Advisory was issued for the area. Your product very likely saved my friend and I from serious injury or possible death.
My heartfelt thanks in developing such an exceptional and well-designed product. – Matt Magliaro